Hey guys I got a couple extra 2SK170BL (Toshiba) FETs for the Oktava mod. FOUR extra in fact... that's after the pair that I'm sending to Beas. So that's FOUR total available from me.

Since my loyalty is to this forum first I'll let the first two people in the continental US Paypal me $5 for TWO of them. That will cover 2-3 day shipping with a tracking number... Obviously I'm just giving these away and you only pay shipping. The only other guy on the net that had 'em wanted $14... so 'nuff said on that.

If you want a pair then claim 'em by POSTING below and then email me stating you want a pair.

DO NOT PAYPAL MY EMAIL UNTIL I VERIFY YOU CAUSE I ONLY HAVE FOUR TO GIVE AWAY!

I waited a long time to get these and Acme only got 100 in stock and they'll sell 'em out quick, so if you don't want mine then call Acme soon! 1-800-575-9833 or visit their website at:

http://www.acme-sales.net/sk.htm

The minimum shipping charge will be around $5-$6 and the FETs are pretty cheap.

Pour moi ;-) Merci beaucoup. Thanks Matt
"Do you plan to mod your Oktava?" Well that's an awfully personal kind of question fella

maybe i missed something but what does this mod do again? are there comparison sound clips w/ and w/out the mod? Sounds interesting so i'll take dibs :)

Dan you can have a pair if you want, but you may want to look up the mod info first. Search the dv.com forum and try misspelling Oktava by typing "Octava" in the search box. That should get you to the extensive mod thread.

Using these FETs involves delicate soldering and working on a small board... if you don't think you can do that w/o screwing up your mic then you don't want these.

The mod creates a quieter and smoother sounding mic. It's been so heavily hyped at this point that I don't see how it can live up to it... but if it does then I'll buy an EXTRA pair of Oktavas!

Thanks anyways matt but i have no soldering experience!

Matt, would you post to New Zealand? I don't have the Oktava's yet but I'm sure I will get one in the near future, so would like to start preparing for the mod. Don't mind paying a bit extra if needed.


Aaron

Aarron, gimme' a few days and I'll have a complete "mod kit" that I can send you.

These little parts are a pain in the arse 'cause each part is pretty cheap, but you have to get 'em from all different places.

About the only way I feel it's worth it is to order extras and share.

To me it's stupid to order a dollar fifty worth of parts and pay seven bucks to get 'em... so I ordered $10-$20 worth of each part and I'm giving the extra sh!t away. For a normal person this wouldn't make sense, but in my pea-brain it seems like a better value...

Email me your shipping address and I'll get a cost together for you. It'll only be EXACT shipping... no charge for parts.

Matt,
I'll take a kit. I'm in Chicago,IL.
sladek@core.com

Everybody else can get their FETs from Acme (for a LIMITED time). I started this thread to offer the extras I had and to post Acme's link... AND to let people know where to get 'em since other people sell these FETs for $14 a pair.

So as of the above post all my extras are gone, but you can still get your own from Acme until they sell 'em out.

Dennis, if you want two FETs you can have 'em as per the above $5 shipping. You can email me at my listed address or just Paypal to that address and I'll send the FETs right out.

You'll still need to pop your Oktava apart to see just what other parts you need to do "the mod"... but everybody needs the (2)FETs and normally (4) total 1G resistors per pair of mics.

I've talked with Aarron a bunch in the past and I was only offering a complete "kit" to him 'cause I'll still have to buy the rest of the parts.

The only bits that are actually hard to get are the FETs and that's really the biggest part of the favor here. You can get the other mod parts almost anywhere.

You can get your Oktava 012 modded here, or buy the DIY kit, and Bill there is really helpful...

Oktava MK-012 Modification Kits and Service (http://www.billsrecording.com/BSRS/Mod012.html)

I've just asked him to mod one for me

Stuart... congrats... you brought back the dead <grin>

When the fact that with the addition of better transistors and capacitors, these little unassuming mics could become formidable performers (following a magazine article setting forth the mod) the parts became a hot ticket. back in 2004 !

The circuit board is tiny. The soldering skills involved are not rocket science but are top of the line soldering. I have scratch built computers and soldered my way most of the way to h*ll, but after looking at it, I thought it was best to let someone else do this one for me. Like you I picked Bill Sitler. Great guy, fast service, and I inspected his work. EXCELLENT.

You made a wise choice. This CAN be a DIY, but ya know what, even as a DIY guy, I recommend you farm this one out.

Chris

ps.What did you end up buying?

Stuart- have you gone for his premium mod or the standard? I'm considering buying the kit, but of course he only offers the standard mod in that form.

Granted, given the time and risk involved, it probably makes sense to send the mic to him, how much did it cost you to send/receive?

Also, it'd be great to hear what you think the change is like, even though I think my Tascam HD-P2's noisy gain is more at fault, and the current limiting factor in my audio chain as of present.

Chris:

Resurrection is in progress! Audio wise I will be living in the past then (in 2004) with my modded Oktava :)

I must say I didn't fancy soldering it myself, my soldering is not great and my knowledge of electronics is quite poor.

Decided to stick with my Audiotechnika At815b shotgun for outdoor use, to save money for now, and ordered an Oktava MK-012 for indoors. I've ordered a softie for the shotgun mic as I didn't have one and I ordered a Sound Devices MIX-PRE audio mixer - I haven't used a mixer before so hope I can figure out how to use it.

Phil:

I went for the premium mod and asked Bill to do it. I also asked Bill to buy the mic for me since he will know what's dodgy and what's not. So unfortunately I won't know what it sounded like before and after. If you want him to mod your mic it's quite easy to pay him as he takes Paypal. Insured shipping to the UK was 50$. Bill's getting me an MK-012 boxed set with 3 capsules and a -10db pad in a cedar box. He's getting me an official Oktava shock mount and foam windscreen too.

Stuart

Stuart.... I have 815b shotguns and consider them to be acceptable for everyday use... They cut very well with the Oktava. I used the Mix Pre a year ago on a shoot and have to say it is an excellent piece of equipment. You will be pleased me thinks. You are not making bad decisions as you go.

Thanks Chris, I feel reassured about my choices now :)

I think my MIX-PRE will arrive today so I'll have to figure out how to use it.

does this mod do anything for handling noise??

No.... it only improves the electronics. Handling noise is unchanged. That said, I know this mic has some handling noise issues, but they are not unmanageable IMHO. Clean boom technique is all it needs. Now ... if you want to use a "painter's pole" boom coupled with cheap pole microphone mounting option, THAT may be an issue with this mic.

My modded MC-012 microphone arrived yesterday, it was delayed in customs, and I had a quick go with it last night. I must say that even with only a foam windshield on and waving it around on the shock mount I couldn't detect any handling noise at all. Maybe the newer versions don't suffer from it as much. I'm going to do some audio tests on it at the weekend and I'll post the recordings in case anyone wants to have a listen.

Are you guys modding also NEW Oktavas?

I thought new models were redesigned with the modification "built in"?

Is this Okatava modding fad just a carryover from the past?

Oktava has not incorporated the newer better components into their product last I knew and so yes, even brand new Oktavas (at least as of about a year ago anyway) can benefit from the mod.

Are you guys modding also NEW Oktavas?

I thought new models were redesigned with the modification "built in"?

Is this Okatava modding fad just a carryover from the past?
This site covers the different Oktava mics, different mods for both old and new mics, and more:
OktavaMod - Affordable Boutique Microphones (http://www.oktavamod.com/)

To Petri:

Argh!

To Chris:

Phew!

That's good, I just had mine modded. Sounds pretty good too.

The mod work is all internal to microphone body, right? It touches neither the capsules nor the XLR connector?

My Oktava has a finicky XLR connector. Sometimes it's perfect the first time, other times it requires some wiggling to seat the XLR cable properly. It doesn't ever click into place; the Oktava just doesn't have that feature. While it's keyed, it's more of a notch in the connector housing.

Anyone else have this problem, or a resolution?

I find the Switchcraft connectors go in/on and latch easier on my 012s than Neutrik's... which I generally prefer.

Oktava has not incorporated the newer better components into their product last I knew and so yes, even brand new Oktavas (at least as of about a year ago anyway) can benefit from the mod.
I'm not sure that this is correct. There was a pretty extensive discussion about this on another forum.
Low Cost Small Condenser Options - Page 2 - DVXuser.com -- The online community for filmmaking (http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?t=167938&highlight=oktavamod&page=2)

I find the Switchcraft connectors go in/on and latch easier on my 012s than Neutrik's... which I generally prefer.
I have the same problem and the same solution. I use cables with Switchcraft connectors instead of Neutrik.

Rick, Jonathan, thanks! I'll grab a different cable and see if it works.